Which Delta Drill Press?

[Mike Kelsey]

I'm trying to decide on which of these DP's to order. The 17-959L or the 18-900L. This will be my first large DP. As far as accuracy is there any real difference which would warrant the extra cost of the 18-900L? They seem pretty close as far as I can tell outside of the size differences.

Thanks for any response.....

[Dan Hintz]

I'll be ordering the 18-900L as soon the holiday is over...

The 18 has 6" quill travel, the 17 has 4-7/8" travel.

[Jim Eller]

For what it's worth, I have a 17-965 that I purchased new.

The thing always drifts to the left no matter what size the bit.

I have spoken with Delta and they say, there ain't no fix.

[Bernie Kopfer]

I have the delta 17.... I have been pleased with the ease of use and accuracy. The laser is dead on, and one feature delta has is the easy ability to lock the quill in any position. This make s it easy to check the point of contact and other advantqages. Power is more than adequte and belt changing is easy enough. But if you tilt the table sideways plan on a long time getting it back to square. My only complaint is that because I cannot bolt it to the floor there is too much column "wobble" and vibration. Maybe the newer model is worth the extra price but I don't make my living with a DP. best to youi.

[Brad Patch]

Not familiar with the two model Delta Drill Presses mentioned. Have a Jet floor model which never could drill a deep hole without wandering. Recently bought a Walker Turner (WT) Bench Drill Press. It does not have as much depth of cut, no crank to raise/lower the table, has only 4 speeds instead of 12. But what it does have is FAR superior engineering and HIGH quality machine work. And despite being 66 years old, will drill a deep hole without wandering. The WT makes the Jet look crude by comparison.

If I were in the market I would look around for an American made older model, Walker Turner, Atlas, or Delta, even some of the older Craftsman Drill Presses are well made and desirable. Purchase price of an old machine and costs for new bearings etc. will probably be less than 1/2 of a new model machine and in the end will result in a much better tool.

They really did make them better back then.

[Andrew Joiner]

Quill slop or runout is the biggest problem with new drill presses. You must test them before you buy to get one with the least runout. That's hard to do.

Grizzly is coming out with a new drill press soon. I hope Shiraz is clamping down on specs of minimal runout with this one.

[Bill White]

Brad nailed it. I found an older (1952) C'man cast iron monster. Dead on. Solid. Accurate, and really fun to show off. Can't beat the old iron stuff.
Bill

[Hank Stevens]

[QUOTE=Andrew Joiner;1567860
Grizzly is coming out with a new drill press soon. I hope Shiraz is clamping down on specs of minimal runout with this one.[/QUOTE]

I'm curious about this as I have spoken too two reps from Grizzly, who both stated that Grizzly is not planning on introducing or manufacturing a new drill press.

Do you have any further info?

[Andrew Joiner]

This is one of several threads here that he mentioned the new drill press. His post is #37.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?p=1508237#post1508237

[Hank Stevens]

Thank you. It appears that we are still many months away from any info.

[hank dekeyser]

I gotta chime in on this -

I would NEVER buy a NEW drill press- a new endmill YES - drillpress NO. They dont make a decent drill press for the money these days. Watch CL or Ebay for an old Delta, Cman, or if you're lucky Powermatic. Even an old worn out unit will likely have less run out and wander than a new one. My first DP was an old Cman 4 speed- Sweet old unit, flawless rummage sale score for 25 bucks. I had the chance to snap up a Powermatic 1200 20" for $300 - I had to. I had planned on rebuilding it but it's been 4 years now and it just plain works great and does what I tell it to.
I have friends w/ (newer) Jet, Delta, crapsman presses, and they just plain arent all that great

If you have to buy new- bite the bullet and buy the one you REALLY want - It's better to buy too much than to wish you did. The bigger you go, the better the unit (usually)
My 20" is a bit much, but I'll never have to buy another drill press- ever.

[Eric Kipker]

I ordred one last weekend. I looked all over for a good used drill press but then decided on a new one and chose the Delta, liked the 6" quill and the range of speeds for wood or metal. We will see after I have it for a while.

[Dan Hintz]

I was hoping mine would come in this week, but I still haven't received the "It shipped!" email... maybe early next week.

[Mike Kelsey]

Well so far, it sound like there are a few opinions on the 959L: a decent DP with a few "minor"(?) complains - yes-no? As to the 900L no one has one yet. Still trying to determine if the differences are worth the +/-$300.....

[Matt Winterowd]

I just fooled around with the 18-900L at my local Woodcraft and noticed a curious feature omission. There doesn't appear to be a quill lock on the unit. It's kind of a funny thing to leave out on a tool that's otherwise been engineered for convenience. Maybe not a deal-breaker, but I haven't seen anyone else mention this.

[John Coloccia]

A lot of new drill presses don't have a quill lock on them anymore. It's very irritating. My next step is to pick up an old Atlas somewhere. I'm still hoping Grizzly comes up with something worthwhile soon, but it really is difficult finding a quality drill press. Maybe that's not exactly right. It's difficult finding one outside of the more industrial suppliers. Delta, PM, etc are just aren't quite there anymore IMHO, but they're reasonably priced and meet the needs of 95% of the folks out there. Until recently, it met my needs also and I was happy.

[Andrew Joiner]

It looks like you lock the quill by sliding 2 quick nuts tight against the depth stop bar. If there's no slop in the quill this may work, but I like a lever lock.



http://www.toolbarn.com/delta-18-900l.html#

This may be a good way to add a sort of height lock to an existing drill press. You can buy quick nuts http://www.grizzly.com/products/Quick-Threaded-Stop-Collar-3-8-16-/G7317

[John Coloccia]

I can technically "lock" the quill on mine too by setting the height adjustment, but it misses the boat if I really want it locked. For example, when I use my Wagner Saf-T-Planer, I get a chattering cut because the quill isn't rigidly locked. There's always a little play. It's probably fine for most people but if you're in the 5% that are pushing the tool, it's not as nice as the older drill presses with tight quills and real locks.

In return, we get easy speed adjustment, nice tables, lights, lasers, etc that the vast majority of woodworkers will appreciate far more, so manufacturers are targeting their market and it's my tough luck that I don't get what I really want. I'm not bitter about it. I would do the same.

[Dan Hintz]

Mine comes in Monday, and considering it's 120V, I'll be able to plug it in almost immediately and play...

[Kent A Bathurst]

A lot of new drill presses don't have a quill lock on them anymore. It's very irritating...........I can technically "lock" the quill on mine too by setting the height adjustment...

John - I did not know that the lock lever is no longer standard. I'm not in the market for a new DP [I sold my "modern" Delta and replaced it with an "antique" PM] - but that would annoy me to no end. I use the quill lock a LOT - nearly every time I fire up the DP. Get the target centered under the bit, pin the bit into it, lock the quill, move the fence + hold-downs into place, release the lock, back the quill off a smidgen, power on, make a hole.

The alternative is to mickey-mouse around with the fence to get the target aligned correctly, then mickey-mouse around to get the hold-downs aligned correctly, etc., etc., etc. My method is a fraction of the time, and dead-nuts on-target every hole [of course, I have become a card-carrying "clamp-it-down-and-drill-hands-free" guy since I tore up my hand earlier this year].

Grrrr........why would they drop this feature? Once the rest of the DP is designed, it can't cost but pennies to add the lever lock..............

[Van Huskey]

Speaking of quill locks, what current DPs (in the sub $1k level) have quill locks?

[John Coloccia]

John - I did not know that the lock lever is no longer standard. I'm not in the market for a new DP [I sold my "modern" Delta and replaced it with an "antique" PM] - but that would annoy me to no end. I use the quill lock a LOT - nearly every time I fire up the DP. Get the target centered under the bit, pin the bit into it, lock the quill, move the fence + hold-downs into place, release the lock, back the quill off a smidgen, power on, make a hole.

The alternative is to mickey-mouse around with the fence to get the target aligned correctly, then mickey-mouse around to get the hold-downs aligned correctly, etc., etc., etc. My method is a fraction of the time, and dead-nuts on-target every hole [of course, I have become a card-carrying "clamp-it-down-and-drill-hands-free" guy since I tore up my hand earlier this year].

Grrrr........why would they drop this feature? Once the rest of the DP is designed, it can't cost but pennies to add the lever lock..............

You know, this is something I used to do on milling machines all the time and never thought to do on my drill press at home (because I don't have a quill lock). Now I'm even more irritated. LOL. Thanks :)

[Dan Richards2]

For what its worth, I was talking to a salesman today about Delta and heard that Delta was bought about 4 years ago and since then, their quality has been severely lacking. Wikipedia states that it was bought by Black and Decker...so, I don't think that I will be buying new Delta's any time soon.

[Van Huskey]

For what its worth, I was talking to a salesman today about Delta and heard that Delta was bought about 4 years ago and since then, their quality has been severely lacking. Wikipedia states that it was bought by Black and Decker...so, I don't think that I will be buying new Delta's any time soon.

Delta is still like every other machine maker, they have some great tools and have some duds, their upper level DPs are as good or better than any of the other offerings in the under $1K range.

[Kent A Bathurst]

".....Now I'm even more irritated. LOL. Thanks :)........"

You're very welcome. Glad to be of service.:p

[Fred Belknap]

Speaking of quill locks, what current DPs (in the sub $1k level) have quill locks?

My Steel City 17" has one, not the most effective but it does have one.

[Matt Winterowd]

You know, this is something I used to do on milling machines all the time and never thought to do on my drill press at home (because I don't have a quill lock). Now I'm even more irritated. LOL. Thanks :)

Apparently it was a relevant observation... Sorry to touch a nerve, John.

I guess I was thinking that quill locks were a little more common than they appear to be these days. However, the Steel City DP is the only one so equipped that I could dig up. I would kind of think that it would be a feature that's pretty much a no brainer. Cost to manufacture is roughly 1 tapped hole and a locking lever.

[Andrew Joiner]

My Steel City 17" has one, not the most effective but it does have one.
Fred,
What makes it not effective? It looks like the old standard quill locks in the catalog photos.

[Van Huskey]

I was aware of the SC, they made the old school approach to their new DP, but beyond thatI was not aware of any more, and it appears there may not be any more... :(